1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a camera with an image plane switching function, which is able to perform horizontal and vertical photographing according to a user's request, and a film winding device for winding Brownie film with no perforation around a film wind spool.
2. Description of the Related Art
If a camera using 135 mm film is held horizontally during photographing, a picture format is 24.times.36 mm (length.times.breadth). If the camera is held vertically, the picture format is 36.times.24 mm (length.times.breadth). In the case of a camera using 120 mm film, the picture format is a semi-brownie size: 6.times.4.5 cm (length.times.breadth) in the horizontal photographing or 4.5.times.6 cm (length.times.breadth) in the vertical photographing.
In a conventional film winding device, the perforations of the film are engaged with a sprocket when the film is loaded, and the motor rotates the sprocket so as to smoothly feed the film. When the film reaches the wind spool, the film is pressed against the wind spool by a guide which is pushed toward the wind spool. The perforations are engaged with nails formed on the wind spool, and the film is wound around the wind spool. Every time the exposure of a frame is completed, the sprocket and the film wind spool rotate, and the film is wound around the wind spool by the rotation.
The above-mentioned film winding device is mounted in a camera using a film such as 35 mm film provided with perforations. In the Brownie camera using the Brownie film without perforations, it is difficult to use the above-mentioned device which is driven by a motor to wind the leader of the film around the film wind spool.
When the film is loaded in the conventional Brownie camera, the user pulls the leader of the film from the film supply side with one hand, and rotates the film wind spool to position the film leader insertion hole of the film axis part at a predetermined position with the other hand, and inserts the leader of the film into the film leader insertion hole.
Most of the conventional cameras (the so-called compact lens shutter camera using 135 mm film) are rectangular along the film feed direction. A strobe is provided at the upper left of the front of the camera. When a person at a relatively short distance from the camera is stroboscopically taken, there is no problem about the shadow of the person. On the other hand, if the strobe is attached to the camera with the film image plane called the 120 Brownie, and when the person is stroboscopically taken by the camera which has been rotated by 90.degree. from the horizontal position to be vertical, the position of the strobe light emitting part changes greatly. Thereby, the shadow close to the subject is taken, and the photograph is not easy to see and lacks a sense of beauty. Since the camera becomes larger and heavier in proportion to the picture format, the user cannot vertically hold the camera with the relatively-large image plane in a stable manner during the photographing.
The conventional Brownie camera has another disadvantage in that the film cannot be easily loaded. The leader of the film often enters the gap between the film wind spool and the counter roller, not being inserted into the film leader insertion hole. For this reason, the operation of the conventional Brownie camera requires a lot of skill.
The camera of this type is not common in use because of the above-mentioned disadvantages.